A conventional mechanism for containing an input pen is shown in FIG. 15 for example. A main body 21 is provided with a pen container 23. The pen container 23 fits to the top of an input pen 22 so as to hold. However, in this mechanism, when the input pen 22 is taken out, it is required to move backward the input pen 22 which is in the main body 21 and afterwards to take it out of the pen container 23. Therefore, it presents a problem that it takes long to put in and take out the input pen 22.
Therefore, another mechanism is devised as shown in FIG. 16. It has a pen holder 24, one end of which is fixed in the main body 21 and another end of which can pivot around the fixed end for the main body 2 1, fitting to the top end of the input pen 22 so as to be contained and removed. In the mechanism, the input pen 22 can be easily contained and removed by the pen holder 24 rotating when the input pen 22 is removed as shown in FIG. 17.
In a case where the mechanism has a cover 25 for covering over the main body 21 as shown in FIG. 18(a) , a pen container 23 is provided on the main body 21. Is shown in FIG. 18(b), when the cover 25 opens, one end of the input pen 22 rotates upward around another end of the input pen 22.
In this mechanism, the cover 25 can hold the input pen 22 by covering an opening of the pen container 23 when the cover 25 shuts. Moreover, when it opens, the input pen 22 easy to be taken out.
However, in such above described mechanisms, a vibration during carrying or the like causes the input pen 22 to rock easily in the main body 21. Therefore, bothering noises such as one by knocking is generated. The rocking also results in that the main body 21 and the input pen 22 tends to be damaged.
In order to meet the deficiency, for example, another mechanism described in the Japanese unexamined utility model publication No. 2-145437(1990) is known. The mechanism has a pen container 23 in the main body 21 and has a locking mechanism 26 as shown in FIGS. 19 to 21. The pen container 23 contains the whole body of the input pen 22 when it is inserted. The locking mechanism 26 locks the inserted input pen 22.
The input pen 22 is provided with a locking groove 22a in its outer periphery, and the locking mechanism 26 is provided with a coupling 26a for coupling with the locking groove 22a, so as to support elastically the coupling 26a. There is provided a releasing button 26b for operatively combining with the coupling 26a on the main body 21 in an exposed manner. There is provided a spring 27 which pushes the contained input pen 22 to a discharge direction.
With the arrangement, only if the input pen 22 is inserted into the pen container 23, the input pen 22 is locked. Therefore, the damage of the input pen 22 and the main body 21 by rocking can be prevented. Since a part of the input pen 22 comes out when the locking mechanism 26 releases locking, the input pen 22 is easy to be taken out when it needs to be used.
However, according to the structure, it is necessary to expose the releasing button 26b on the main body 21, thereby limiting how to design the outline of the main body 21 and arrange each part of a display. Therefore, there is a problem that it is limited to design a display and other devices of, for example, the handy electronic apparatuses.
Therefore, in order to avoid such the problem, for example, another mechanism as shown in FIG. 22 is devised, which can contain and take out the input pen 22 without the releasing button 26b.
In the mechanism, there is provided a locking device 28 for locking the contained input pen 22. A recess 28a is provided in a lower portion of the locking device 28, which extends in a moving direction of the locking device 28. A controlling member 29 is supplied a clockwise force, the top of which fits to the recess 28a so as to move.
In the mechanism, when the input pen 22 is contained in the pen container 23, a coupling nail 28b of the locking device 28 fits to the locking groove 22a of the input pen 22, and the locking device 28 moves in accordance with insertion of the input pen 22 as above described. Therefore, the top of the controlling member 29 couples with a coupling part 28c in the recess 28a.
In this way, though force is applied to the locking device 28 by a discharge spring 27 in the discharge direction of the input pen 22, the input pen 22 stays at the position of containing of the pen container 23 against the force of the discharge spring 27.
The following is an explanation about how to discharge the contained input pen 22. When the input pen 22 is pushed a little deeper in the direction of insertion by hand, the controlling member 29 rotates counterclockwise along a slope 28d which is at the back end of the recess 28a with respect to the insert direction. Therefore, the coupling part 28c gets free from the controlling member 29.
When the input pen 22 ceases to be pushed then, by the force of the discharging spring 27, the controlling member 29 moves in the recess 28a, that the locking device 28 moves in the discharge direction of the input pen 22 before the controlling member 29 couples with the coupling part 28c again. Therefore, the input pen 22 is discharged from the pen container 23. In this way, the input pen 22 is put in and taken out.
However, the required number of the parts increases because of complication of the mechanism according to the conventional structure, so manufacturing cost increases. To make the matter worse, it is also difficult to make the size of the mechanism small because space is necessary to contain the complicated mechanism in, thereby causing the mechanism to be bulky.